The persistent rumors linking the Nets with big names just won’t die, from Damian Lillard to Tyler Herro.
But Mikal Bridges thinks Brooklyn is going into the season with essentially the same roster it has — and he’s perfectly fine with that.
Bridges spoke with The Post at his Youth Camp with FlexWork at Basketball City.
And despite his friendship with Lillard — Portland’s All-Star — Bridges fully expects the Nets to look the same on opening night.
“Yeah, pretty much, I think so. And I’m pretty excited about it,” Bridges told The Post. “I mean, I love the guys that we’ve got, just bring everybody back and finally go through preseason and new coaching staff and for Jacque [Vaughn] just to have his preseason and have his coaching staff whoever he wants and put what he wants coming in for him.
“I kind of forget when I got traded there that he came in because Steve [Nash] got fired, so he had to kind of [stand pat]. [Last season], he had that awkward where it’s not really all you because the assistant and the head [coach], you guys can have the same things but people have different type of schemes and foundations and stuff.
“So, just excited for him to have a preseason, have his guys he wants around and pretty much have it his way. And I’m excited for us to all be together and have these schemes from jump, [instead of] being thrown out there with three different teams in one lineup and just trying to go figure it out. So I’m definitely excited.”
Brooklyn has a two-way spot open, must make a decision whether to bring back unrestricted free agent David Duke Jr. and could conceivably still move either Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith, who have drawn trade inquiries.
But Bridges — who averaged 26.1 points for the Nets after arriving in the Kevin Durant trade to become the face of the franchise — would be surprised by anything seismic such as acquiring Lillard, who wants to go to Miami and is clearly coveted by the Heat, or picking up the productive-but-pricy Herro in a three-team swap.
For all intents and purposes, today’s Nets are likely the opening night Nets.
And that includes holding on to Cam Johnson, so close with Bridges that the pair earned the collective nickname “The Twins” in Phoenix.
The two came from the Suns in the Durant deal just before the February trade deadline.
Johnson was an unrestricted free agent this offseason and had been a prime target for Detroit, coached by ex-Suns coach Monty Williams.
But Brooklyn’s re-signing him to a four-year, $94.5 million deal was the biggest part of the roster stability Bridges talked about, having been afraid of the Pistons poaching his pal.
“Oh, [it’s] great,” Bridges, 26, said. “That was one of the biggest things I was just hoping for and nervous about other teams.
“I think Detroit was in talks a lot, and I know Monty is over there, so I’m just like, ‘All right now, calm down. Don’t take Twin away.’ So definitely very, very for the team — outside my selfish reasons, but for the team — big-time. We need Cam. And for him to get paid and kind of get that baby weight off his shoulders, I think it’s great for the team and great for him.”
